The first days of spring brought us the worst winter weather of the season. The blizzard like conditions of that first week of spring, brought such horrific road conditions that a young driver lost control and took out our mailbox as well as our two very strong brick pillars. His car was totaled, he and his younger brother were shook up but not hurt. Thank goodness.We’ve been dealing with contractors and insurance since then. And we discovered out how difficult it is to get our mail without a mailbox!

I babysit grandchildren when I have the opportunity, and on Sunday mornings I teach Sunday School, ages 9-11. For the first time ever, this year I have ten girls, no boys.

A couple months ago my three year old great granddaughter walked in looking grumpy. I asked her what’s wrong, she raised her right arm, walked away, ”It’s complicated!” Such a vocabulary for a three year old, she’s so comical!

I continue to work on my Christmas novel. The almost final re-write is close to being finished. I also continue to read and review books.

Time To Heal by Todd McClimans. Historical Fiction/time travel. Middle school through adult. Excellent story, third in his American Epoch series about the same two characters. I also highly recommend this one. I will be recording my review for Bookmark at WPSU. I was scheduled two weeks ago and had to postpone due to weather.

Shame, Shame, I Know Your Name by Heather Harlan, Fiction/Thriller. This is Book 2 of the Marina Konyeshna Thriller Trilogy about international human traffickers. A real page turner with snappy, witty dialogue while danger lurks in the shadows. I have written half the review. More about this one next month.

Hillbilly Ellegy by J.D. Vance, Memoir. Powerful story of passion and the personal analysis of a culture in crisis, that of the white working poor. He gave full credit to his grandmother for keeping him on track as he overcame all odds, joined the USMC, served in Iraq and eventually graduated from Yale Law School. A great read. Highly recommend it.

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by the Countess of Carnarvon. Nonfiction. Wonderful walk through the gilded years of the British aristocracy and the real history of Highclere Castle. Lots of historic photos and tales of the real families and serving staff who lived there. Actually more interesting than the fiction version so familiar to many of us. It is not a fast read, but oh so interesting!

Don’t Go by Lisa Scottoline. Fiction/ Mystery/Thriller. Wow! I highly recommend this one. I haven’t read Scottoline for several years, and she has ramped her writing up several notches since then. I didn’t see it coming is all I can say. The detailed research and believability of this novel will haunt you long after reading it.

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly. Historic Fiction. This is an absolutely excellent novel. Inspired by true events, a compelling page turner. You will meet unforgettable characters. This is a unique story, unlike any other you’ve ever read.

*If you think it is odd that I give so many rave book reviews, it is because I do not write negative reviews. I would rather not mention the books I did not like rather than write something ugly. I know all too well how hard authors work and my reviews, are simply my opinions, as are the reviews of all reviewers. Others might like books I do not like and vice versa for the ones I do like.

We have not seen any movies worth mentioning this month. We watched another season of Homeland. So powerful!Mostly we’ve binged on the last two seasons of Longmire. We love this series! It helps that the actor who plays Longmire looks so much like my brother, Mike, who lives in Texas and I don’t often see him anymore. But watching this show makes me feel like I do!